X
- 1994
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 7 m
- 1994
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 7 m
Summary Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.
Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: Roy Huggins, William Goldman
- 1994
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 7 m
- 1994
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 7 m
Maverick
62
7.0
Where to Watch
Summary Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.
Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: Roy Huggins, William Goldman
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
62
61% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
39% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
62
61% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
39% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Forget its dubious ancestry as a popular TV show of the '50s. The combined charms of Maverick's genial cast, its sly script and its punchy direction make it the legitimate heir to escapist crowd-pleasers such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. [20 May 1994, p.03]
Entertaining set pieces, the lively give-and-take of Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner and a playful affection for old Westerns carry Maverick past some soft spots and emphasize its adult wit and intelligence. [20 May 1994, p.49]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 User Ratings
7.0
75% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
19% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 32 User Ratings
7.0
75% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
19% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
The film offers us Mel Gibson as a new Bret Maverick, the Western gambler, as well as the old TV Maverick, James Garner, now playing a wry frontier sheriff. These two guys can make you smile contentedly even when the script is wandering and they're just sort of standing around waiting for its next good part to develop.
Too rich, too loaded, Maverick may have misplayed its cards, kept its eyes on the pot instead of the players. In movies, as in poker, you can't always trust a pat hand.
The plot is one the original writers would have been proud of and with Garner, himself, appearing it gives the film a seal of approval. A rare performance from Foster who is surprisingly funny and Molina giving a good supporting performance, it's an enjoyable family film.
Alternately a celebration and sendup of cowboy conventions, the movie lingers over a stunning Western landscape only to be spurred on by the principals' inexhaustible supply of escapades. The burr under the saddle: There's just too much of everything.
Cynical and bloated, Maverick is a comic western whose high-powered cast does very little but looks damned fine doing it. Even fans of the vintage TV show may find it trying.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
American Comedy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
